Franklin Resources Inc. Purchases 3,179,974 Shares of UBS Group AG $UBS

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) by 184.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,907,214 shares of the bank’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,179,974 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 0.16% of UBS Group worth $226,375,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. increased its holdings in UBS Group by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. now owns 39,471 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,828,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares during the period. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in UBS Group by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 19,905 shares of the bank’s stock worth $922,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in UBS Group by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 14,905 shares of the bank’s stock worth $611,000 after acquiring an additional 271 shares during the period. Perigon Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in UBS Group by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,551 shares of the bank’s stock worth $350,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of UBS Group by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 7,115 shares of the bank’s stock worth $292,000 after buying an additional 288 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on UBS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating on shares of UBS Group in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of UBS Group in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of UBS Group from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of UBS Group in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Barclays raised shares of UBS Group from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, UBS Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $60.30.

Key UBS Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting UBS Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Swiss lawmakers are reportedly weighing a compromise that could soften UBS’s capital requirements, potentially reducing the amount of extra capital the bank may need to hold and easing a major overhang on the stock. Exclusive: Swiss lawmakers consider fresh compromise for UBS capital rules, sources say
• Positive Sentiment: UBS Wealth Management US announced multiple advisors in California, Hawaii, and Phoenix were named to Barron’s Top 1,500 Financial Advisors list, reinforcing the strength of UBS’s advisory business and brand in wealth management. Three UBS advisors in California and Hawaii Named to Barron’s Top 1,500 Financial Advisors list
• Positive Sentiment: Six UBS advisors in Phoenix were also recognized by Barron’s, adding to the view that UBS continues to attract and retain top talent in a fee-generating business that is important to investor confidence. Six UBS advisors in Phoenix named to Barron’s Top 1,500 Financial Advisors list
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports also said UBS is reducing Asia ESG staff as part of a broader global restructuring, which looks more like cost-cutting and reorganization than a direct catalyst for earnings.

UBS Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UBS opened at $47.85 on Wednesday. UBS Group AG has a one year low of $30.36 and a one year high of $49.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $149.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.15, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.19. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $44.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $43.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 1.19.

UBS Group (NYSE:UBS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The bank reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.09. UBS Group had a net margin of 12.66% and a return on equity of 10.05%. The company had revenue of $13.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.16 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that UBS Group AG will post 3.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About UBS Group

UBS Group AG is a Swiss multinational financial services firm that provides a broad range of banking and capital markets services to private, institutional and corporate clients. Headquartered in Zurich, UBS operates as a universal bank with a primary focus on wealth management, asset management, investment banking and retail and commercial banking in Switzerland. The firm serves high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, pension funds, corporations and institutional investors through a global network of offices.

Key business activities include global wealth management—offering financial planning, investment advisory, discretionary portfolio management and custody services—alongside asset management products for institutional and retail investors.